We initiate the study of torsion-free algebraically hyperbolic groups; these groups generalise torsion-free hyperbolic groups and are intricately related to groups with no Baumslag--Solitar subgroups. Indeed, for groups of cohomological dimension $2$ we prove that algebraic hyperbolicity is equivalent to containing no Baumslag--Solitar subgroups. This links algebraically hyperbolic groups to two famous questions of Gromov; recent work has shown these questions to have negative answers in general, but they remain open for groups of cohomological dimension $2$.
We also prove that algebraically hyperbolic groups are CSA, and so have canonical abelian JSJ-decompositions. In the two-generated case we give a precise description of the form of these decompositions.
We show there is a finite-volume, hyperbolic $7$-manifold that algebraically fibres with finitely presented kernel of type $\mathtt{FP}(\mathbb Q)$. This manifold is a finite cover of the one constructed by Italiano--Martelli--Migliorini.
In this paper we answer several questions of Dikran Dikranjan about algebraically determined topologies on the group of (finitely supported) permutations of a set X.
Initial steps are presented towards understanding which finitely generated groups are almost surely generated as semigroups by the path of a random walk on the group.
It was recently proven that all free and many virtually free verbally closed subgroups are algebraically closed in any group. We establish sufficient conditions for a group that is an extension of a free non-abelian group by a group satisfying a non-trivial law to be algebraically closed in any group in which it is verbally closed. We apply these conditions to prove that the fundamental groups of all closed surfaces (except the Klein bottle) and almost all free products of groups satisfying a non-trivial law are algebraically closed in any group in which they are verbally closed.
Let $H$ be an acylindrically hyperbolic group without nontrivial finite normal subgroups. We show that any finite system $S$ of equations with constants from $H$ is equivalent to a single equation. We also show that the algebraic set associated with $S$ is, up to conjugacy, a projection of the algebraic set associated with a single splitted equation (such equation has the form $w(x_1,\dots,x_n)=h$, where $w\in F(X)$, $h\in H$). From this we deduce the following statement: Let $G$ be an arbitrary overgroup of the above group $H$. Then $H$ is verbally closed in $G$ if and only if it is algebraic…
We present a careful approximation of the geodesics in trees of hyperbolic or relatively hyperbolic groups. As an application we prove a combination theorem for finite graphs of relatively hyperbolic groups, with both Farb's and Gromov's definitions.
For right-angled Coxeter groups $W_Γ$, we obtain a condition on $Γ$ that is necessary and sufficient to ensure that $W_Γ$ is thick and thus not relatively hyperbolic. We show that Coxeter groups which are not thick all admit canonical minimal relatively hyperbolic structures; further, we show that in such a structure, the peripheral subgroups are both parabolic (in the Coxeter group-theoretic sense) and strongly algebraically thick. We exhibit a polynomial-time algorithm that decides whether a right-angled Coxeter group is thick or relatively hyperbolic. We analyze random graphs in the Erdós-R…
In a number of recent works, it has been established that many virtually free groups, almost all fundamental groups of surfaces and all groups which are nontrivial free products of groups satisfying a non-trivial law are algebraically closed in any group in which they are verbally closed. In this work we establish that any group which is a non-trivial free product is algebraically closed in any group in which it is verbally closed.
Let $\F$ be an algebraically closed field. Let $\V$ be a vector space equipped with a non-degenerate symmetric or symplectic bilinear form $B$ over $\F$. Suppose the characteristic of $\F$ is \emph{large}, i.e. either zero or greater than the dimension of $\V$. Let $I(\V, B)$ denote the group of isometries. Using the Jacobson-Morozov lemma we give a new and simple proof of the fact that two elements in $I(\V,B)$ are conjugate if and only if they have the same elementary divisors.
We prove that a non-elementary relatively hyperbolic group is statistically hyperbolic with respect to every finite generating set. We also establish statistical hyperbolicity for certain direct products of two groups, one of which is relatively hyperbolic.
We generalize a version of small cancellation theory to the class of acylindrically hyperbolic groups. This class contains many groups which admit some natural action on a hyperbolic space, including non-elementary hyperbolic and relatively hyperbolic groups, mapping class groups, and groups of outer automorphisms of free groups. Several applications of this small cancellation theory are given, including to Frattini subgroups and Kazhdan constants, the construction of various \exotic"' quotients, and to approximating acylindrically hyperbolic groups in the topology of marked group presentation…
Let G be a graph of hyperbolic groups with 2-ended edge groups. We show that G is hierarchically hyperbolic if and only if G has no distorted infinite cyclic subgroup. More precisely, we show that G is hierarchically hyperbolic if and only if G does not contain certain quotients of Baumslag-Solitar groups. As a consequence, we obtain several new results about this class, such as quadratic isoperimetric inequality and finite asymptotic dimension.
This paper considers the question of relative hyperbolicity of an Artin group with regard to the geometry of its associated Deligne complex. We prove that an Artin group is weakly hyperbolic relative to its finite (or spherical) type parabolic subgroups if and only if its Deligne complex is a Gromov hyperbolic space. For a 2-dimensional Artin group the Deligne complex is Gromov hyperbolic precisely when the corresponding Davis complex is Gromov hyperbolic, that is, precisely when the underlying Coxeter group is a hyperbolic group. For Artin groups of FC type we give a sufficient condition for …
We give a dynamical characterization of acylindrically hyperbolic groups. As an application, we prove that non-elementary convergence groups are acylindrically hyperbolic.
Building on previous results concerning hyperbolicity of groups of Fibonacci type, we give an almost complete classification of the (non-elementary) hyperbolic groups within this class. We are unable to determine the hyperbolicity status of precisely two groups, namely the Gilbert-Howie groups H(9,4), H(9,7). We show that if H(9,4) is torsion-free then it is not hyperbolic. We consider the class of T(5) cyclically presented groups and classify the (non-elementary) hyperbolic groups and show that the Tits alternative holds.
The goal of this article is to survey some recent developments in the study of groups acting on hyperbolic spaces. We focus on the class of acylindrically hyperbolic groups; it is broad enough to include many examples of interest, yet a significant part of the theory of hyperbolic and relatively hyperbolic groups can be generalized in this context. In particular, we discuss group theoretic Dehn filling and small cancellation theory in acylindrically hyperbolic groups. Many results discussed here rely on the new generalization of relative hyperbolicity based on the notion of a hyperbolically em…
We construct an uncountable sequence of groups acting uniformly properly on hyperbolic spaces. We show that only countably many of these groups can be virtually torsion-free. This gives new examples of groups acting uniformly properly on hyperbolic spaces that are not virtually torsion-free and cannot be subgroups of hyperbolic groups.
We say that a group $G$ is acylindrically hyperbolic if it admits a non-elementary acylindrical action on a hyperbolic space. We prove that the class of acylindrically hyperbolic groups coincides with many other classes studied in the literature, e.g., the class $C_{geom}$ introduced by Hamenstadt, the class of groups admitting a non-elementary weakly properly discontinuous action on a hyperbolic space in the sense of Bestvina and Fujiwara, and the class of groups with hyperbolically embedded subgroups studied by Dahmani, Guirardel, and the author. We also record some basic results about acyli…
We show that a one-ended simply connected at infinity hyperbolic group $G$ with enough codimension-1 surface subgroups has $\partial G \cong \mathbb{S}^2$. Combined with a result of Markovic, our result gives a new characterization of virtually fundamental groups of hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Keywords: CAT(0) cube complexes, Hyperbolic groups, hyperbolic 3-manifolds.
We discuss the notion of the universal relatively hyperbolic structure on a group which is used in order to characterize relatively hyperbolic structures on the group. We also study relations between relatively hyperbolic structures on a group and relative quasiconvexity for subgroups of the group.
In this paper we consider a large family of graphs of hierarchically hyperbolic groups (HHG) and show that their fundamental groups admit HHG structures. To do that, we will investigate the notion of hierarchical quasi convexity and show that for a hyperbolic HHS it coincides with the notion of quasi-convexity. The main technical result, for which we expect further applications, is that it is possible to incorporate the HHG structure of a hierarchically hyperbolically embedded subgroup into the HHG structure of the ambient group. This generalizes and provides some additional details to a proce…
This arXived paper has two independant parts, that are improved and corrected versions of different parts of a single paper once named "On equations in relatively hyperbolic groups". The first part is entitled "Existential questions in (relatively) hyperbolic groups". We study there the existential theory of torsion free hyperbolic and relatively hyperbolic groups, in particular those with virtually abelian parabolic subgroups. We show that the satisfiability of systems of equations and inequations is decidable in these groups. In the second part, called "Finding relative hyperbolic structures…
We show that free-by-free groups satisfying a homological criterion, which we call excessive homology, are incoherent. This class is large in nature, including many examples of hyperbolic and non-hyperbolic free-by-free groups. We apply this criterion to finite index subgroups of $F_2\rtimes F_n$ to show incoherence of all such groups, and to other similar classes of groups. Furthermore, we show that a large class of groups, including free-by-free, surface-by-surface, and finitely generated-by-RAAG, algebraically fiber if they have excessive homology.
In this article we study automorphisms and endomorphisms of lacunary hyperbolic groups. We prove that every lacunary hyperbolic group is Hopfian, answering a question by Henry Wilton. In addition, we show that if a lacunary hyperbolic group has the fix point property for actions on $\mathbf R$-trees, then it is co-Hopfian and its outer automorphism group is locally finite. We also construct lacunary hyperbolic groups whose automorphism group is infinite, locally finite, and contains any locally finite group given in advance.
We investigate the class of locally compact lacunary hyperbolic groups. We prove that if a locally compact compactly generated group G admits one asymptotic cone that is a real tree and whose natural transitive isometric action is focal, then G must be a focal hyperbolic group. As an application, we characterize connected Lie groups and linear algebraic groups over an ultrametric local field of characteristic zero having cut-points in one asymptotic cone. We prove several results for locally compact lacunary hyperbolic groups, and extend the characterization of finitely generated lacunary hype…
Formal languages based on the multiplication tables of finitely generated groups are investigated and used to give a linguistic characterization of word hyperbolic groups.
We study the set of homomorphisms from a fixed finitely generated group into a family of groups which are `uniformly acylindrically hyperbolic'. Our main results reduce this study to sets of homomorphisms which do not diverge in an appropriate sense. As an application, we prove that any relatively hyperbolic group with equationally noetherian peripheral subgroups is itself equationally noetherian.
Let $G$ be a relatively hyperbolic group that admits a decomposition into a finite graph of relatively hyperbolic groups structure with quasi-isometrically (qi) embedded condition. We prove that the set of conjugates of all the vertex and edge groups satisfy the limit set intersection property for conical limit points. This result is motivated by the work of Sardar for graph of hyperbolic groups.
The asymptotic bound for a length-based attack on the Conjugacy Search Problem in relatively hyperbolic groups is cubic for hyperbolic elements and a "small" polynomial for parabolic elements, depending on the Conjugacy Search Problem for the peripheral subgroups. The bound for relatively hyperbolic groups in this paper is a significant improvement on previous work.
In this paper we give new requirements that a tree of $δ$-hyperbolic spaces has to satisfy in order to be $δ$-hyperbolic itself. As an application, we give a simple proof that limit groups are relatively hyperbolic.
We use a recent result of Alexander and Nishinaka to show that if $G$ is a non-elementary torsion-free hyperbolic group and $R$ is a countable domain, then the group ring $RG$ is primitive. This implies that the group ring $KG$ of any non-elementary torsion-free hyperbolic group $G$ over a field $K$ is primitive.
We construct hyperbolic groups with the following properties: The boundary of the group has big dimension, it is separated by a Cantor set and the group does not split. This shows that Bowditch's theorem that characterizes splittings of hyperbolic groups over 2-ended groups in terms of the boundary can not be extended to splittings over more complicated subgroups.
We consider groups defined by cyclic presentations where the defining word has length three and the cyclic presentation satisfies the T(6) small cancellation condition. We classify when these groups are hyperbolic. When combined with known results, this completely classifies the hyperbolic T(6) cyclically presented groups.
This paper describes some generalizations of the results presented in the book "Geometry of defining Relations in Groups" , of A.Yu.Ol'shanskii to the case of non-cyclic torsion-free hyperbolic groups. In particular, it is proved that for every non-cyclic torsion-free hyperbolic group, there exists a non-Abelian torsion-free quotient group in which all proper subgroups are cyclic, and the intersection of any two of them is not trivial.
A group with a geometric action on some hyperbolic space is necessarily word hyperbolic, but on the other hand every countable group acts (metrically) properly by isometries on a locally finite hyperbolic graph. In this paper we consider what happens when a group acts isometrically on a restricted class of hyperbolic spaces, for instance quasitrees. We obtain strong conclusions on the group structure if the action has a locally finite orbit, especially if the group is finitely generated. We also look at group actions on finite products of quasitrees, where our actions may be by automorphisms o…
We demonstrate the quasi-isometry invariance of two important geometric structures for relatively hyperbolic groups: the coned space and the cusped space. As applications, we produce a JSJ-decomposition for relatively hyperbolic groups which is invariant under quasi-isometries and outer automorphisms, as well as a related splitting of the quasi-isometry groups of relatively hyperbolic groups.
Thurston has claimed (unpublished) that central extensions of word hyperbolic groups by finitely generated abelian groups are automatic. We show that they are in fact biautomatic. Further, we show that every 2-dimensional cohomology class on a word hyperbolic group can be represented by a bounded 2-cocycle. This lends weight to the claim of Gromov that for a word hyperbolic group, the cohomology in every dimension is bounded.
We define relatively quasiconvex subgroups of relatively hyperbolic groups in the sense of Osin and show that such subgroups have expected properties. Also we state several definitions equivalent to the definition of relatively hyperbolic groups in the sense of Osin.
This work is concerned with the stable norm in word hyperbolic groups as defined by Gromov. We give a short elementary proof of one of its basic property, that is existence of a computable uniform non null lower bound for stable norm in a word hyperbolic group.
We show that if $G$ is a non-elementary torsion-free word hyperbolic group then there exists another word hyperbolic group $G^*$, such that $G$ is a subgroup of $G^*$ but $G$ is not quasiconvex in $G^*$.
We prove that the compressed word problem in a group that is hyperbolic relative to a collection of free abelian subgroups is solvable in polynomial time.
We investigate which free constructions (amalgamated products and HNN-extensions) over word hyperbolic groups produce groups that are again word hyperbolic. A complete answer is obtained for the case when the amalgamated subgroups are virtually cyclic. The results are applied, in particular, to show that a ${\bf Q}$-completion of a torsion-free hyperbolic group has solvable word problem and conjugacy problem.
We generalize a well known periodicity lemma from the case of free groups to the case of acylindrically hyperbolic groups. This generalization will be used later to describe solutions of certain equations in acylindrically hyperbolic groups and to characterize verbally closed finitely generated acylindrically hyperbolic subgroups of finitely presented groups.
We establish links between countable algebraically closed graphs and the endomorphisms of the countable universal graph $R$. As a consequence we show that, for any countable graph $Γ$, there are uncountably many maximal subgroups of the endomorphism monoid of $R$ isomorphic to the automorphism group of $Γ$. Further structural information about End $R$ is established including that Aut $Γ$ arises in uncountably many ways as a Schützenberger group. Similar results are proved for the countable universal directed graph and the countable universal bipartite graph.
This PhD deals with the notion of pseudo algebraically closed (PAC) extensions of fields. It develops a group-theoretic machinery, based on a generalization of embedding problems, to study these extensions. Perhaps the main result is that although there are many PAC extensions, the Galois closure of a proper PAC extension is separably closed. The dissertation also contains the following subjects. The group theoretical counterpart of pseudo algebraically closed extensions, the so-called projective pairs. Applications to seemingly unrelated subjects, e.g., an analog of Dirichlet's theorem about …
Let $G$ be a Polish (i.e., complete separable metric topological) group. Define $G$ to be an algebraically determined Polish group if for any Polish group $L$ and algebraic isomorphism $φ: L \mapsto G$, we have that $φ$ is a topological isomorphism. Let $M(n,\R)$ be the set of $n \times n$ matrices with real coefficients and let the group $G$ in the above definition be the natural semidirect product $\R^{n} \rtimes G(n)$, where $n \ge 2$ and $G(n)$ is one of the following groups: either the general linear group $GL(n,\R) = \left\{ A \in M(n,\R) \ | \ \det(A) \ne 0 \right\}$, or the special lin…
